Letter-stamping machine.



E. J. MADDEN.

LETTER STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-28.1913.

1,155,591. Patented 0ct.5,1915.

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1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I, I I I WITNESSES: M IVl/E/VTOR E By M @MTTOR/VEY COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO.,WASHINGTON D c E. J. MADDEN.

LETTER STAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB-28.19I3.

1,155,591. Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

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I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I WITNESSES. lNI/E/VTOR W QM ATTORNEY E. J. MADDEN.

LETTER STAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1913 Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

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WITNESSES."

A TTOR/VEY EDWARD J. MADDEN, OF BBiDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

LETTER-STAMPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1915.

Application filed February 28, 1913. Serial No. 751,271.

, cial design or in canceling stamps thereon or applying any other desired mark or insignia on the document.

My invention either with all of the various features thereof or with only a portion employed, may be embodied in various different machines. designed for different purposes and I therefore, desire the specific construction hereinafter described in detail to be considered merely as one form of machine in which all of the various features of my invention may be embodied intheir preferred forms.

My impr ved machine inthe specific form shown may be employed for various different purposes depending upon the character of the die, which is employed on the stamping member.

One use to which my invention may be put and for which it is especially adapted, is the stamping of letters with a special stamp approved or authorized by the Government or by any public carrier whereby letters, documents or the like, after having been stamped by the machine, will be transported without the necessity of any special postage stamp, tag or the like previously purchased and applied thereto. It is espe cially designed for this purpose by reason of the fact that it includes a counting mechanism, which indicates the number of times which the stamping member is brought into operation and this counting mechanism cannot be reset or tampered with except by one possessing the proper key or combination by which access into the interior of the machine may be gained. It is further adapted for this purpose bv the fact that the counting mechanism may be caused to lock the machine against further operation after a predetermined number of letters or the like have been stamped. lhus, the Government, an express company, a public carrier, or any company operating to carry or deliver letters or other articles, might furnish machines to shippers or other persons desiring them, upon the payment of a predetermined sum dependent upon the limited number of times the machine could be operated. The user of the machine could stamp each article to be shipped, by using the machine, and articles could be transported without further payment, so long as they bore the desired stamp. W' hen the machine had been operated the predetermined number of times no further use could be made of it until it had been re-set by one authorized to do so, and at that time arrangement could be made for the transporting or delivering of an additional predetermined number of stamped letters or articles.

My invention involves various important features of construction and design which will be pointed out more in detail in connection with the description of a specific embodiment of my machine, but among the important features are the arrangement whereby counting mechanism may be au-. tomatically disconnected from the canceling mechanism so as to permit the removal of one from the machine without disturbing the other. Preferably it is so constructed that when the article to be stamped which may be of any desired character and which will hereinafter be referred to as a letter,

is placed in the desired position on the machine and when an operating member is brought into play, the stamping mechanism will operate and furthermore will operate in uniform manner irrespective of the speed or character of the movement of the manually operated member.

The stamping mechanism preferably involves the use of a spring pressed member normally held in raised position and locked against movement and the operating mechanism is so constructed as to first distend the spring to a predetermined amount and then automatically release the locking mechanism of the stamping member and permit the latter to move into operative position solely by the action of the spring.

Various forms of counting mechanism may be employed but preferably this counting mechanism embodies the various imporverse section taken on the lines 22 of Fig. 1, the plunger casing being also shown in section; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the case and taken substantially on the line 38 of Fig. 1; Fig. l is a detail transverse section through a portion of the counting mechanism; Fig. 5 is a face view of the parts shown in Fig. l; Fig. 6 is an end view of one of the registering wheels of the registering mechanism and showing particularly the automatic lock applied thereto; Fig. 7 is a face view of the plunger casing,'a portion being broken away to show the attachment of the sections thereof; Fig. 8 is a top plan View. of the carrying mechanism; Fig. 9 is an end view thereof; Fig. 10

is a perspective view of the dial shaft, showing the locking mechanism in normal position; Fig. 11 is a sectional detail of a portion of the locking mechanism; and Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a portion of the mechanism for transmitting motion from the crank or handle to the stamping plunger.

In the specific form illustrated in the ac companying drawings, and which embodies the various features of my invention, I employ a case preferably formed of metal and having the back wall 20, the top 21 and the two end walls 22 and 23 formed of a single casting. The bottom 24: is preferably removable as is also a portion of the front wall, which portion constitutes a closure 25. This closure may have any suitable form of interlocking engagement with the body of the casing at one edge of said closure and a lock 26 at the opposite edge, so that by releasing the closure at the lock, one edge may be swung outwardly and then the closure may be entirely separated from the casing. Of course, I may employ a suitable hinge at one edge if desired, or I may secure the closure in place in any other suitable manner. The bottom wall 24 is preferably provided with spring catches 27 which may engage with lugs, recesses or other co-acting parts upon the inner surface of the body of the casing, so that when the bottom is once in place it will be automatically retained and can not be removed when the closure 25 is in place. There may be any desired number of these spring catches which may be released from the inside of the casing after the closure 25 is opened or any other suitable means may be employed for retaining the bottom in position. Preferably the retaining means is such that access to it can only be gained through the opening in the f-rontwall and thus only one locking means is necessary to prevent tampering with the mechanism by unauthorized persons.

lVithin the body of the casing and carried by the bottom is the counting and locking mechanism hereinafter described more in detail. The rear portion of the casing is provided with an upwardly extending hollow arm 28 which is preferably integral with the wall of the case and extends forwardly over the top of the latter and terminates in a vertically disposed semi-cylindrical casing section 29. .A second casing section 30 matches with the casing section 29 to form a complete plunger casing and this second or removable section has formed therewith a rearwardly and downwardly projecting portion matching with the curved arm 28 so as to form with the latter a closed passageway leading from the interior of the main casing upwardly and thence forwardly to the plunger casing. To prevent the removal of this casing section 30 byunauthorized persons and to prevent anyone from gaining access to the counting mechanism through the passage 31, the casing section is secured in place by locking mechanism accessible only through the interior of the main casing. This may be accomplished in various ways but one simple form which I have devised involves the provision of locking lugs 32 on the front edge of the removable casing section 30, and adapted to engage with recesses in the front edge of the casing section 29 so as to form a separable hinge. At the rear the removable casing section 30 is provided with a lug 33 which extends across into a portion of the hollow arm 28 and through it a screw 34 may extend into the opposite stationary wall. Access may be gained to this screw through the main casing and the passage 31 when the bottom of the main casing is removed. The removable section may be additionally held in place by screws 35 extending up through the top wall 21 of the main casing and into the lower end of the casing section 30.

The plunger casing which is mounted above the main casing and which is made up of the sections 29 and 30 is disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the top wall 21 of the main casing and serves as a cylinder or guide within which the stamping plunger 36 may reciprocate toward and from the said top wall 21. The stamping plunger has its lower face provided with a die, type or other suitable means for im pressing, embossing, )unching, printing or stamping the desired mark upon the letters. I have not shown the face of this plunger, as it is not in any way essential to an understanding of the invention.

Preferably the plunger operates to print and a ribbon extends across its lower face and from one spool 36 to another. The ribbon may be fed from one spool to the other by automatic means as by pawl, ratchet and spring, or in any other suitable manner.

The plunger is so mounted that it is nor mally locked against downward movement and contains a spring which is normally relaxed or at least not under material elastic displacement. The operating mechanism for the plunger serves to first distort the spring in such a way as to tend to force the plunger downwardly and to then release the plunger look so that said plunger may descend with a quick blow and under the in fluence of the spring. One form which I may employ for securing this result and which in itself possesses certain novel and important features is illustrated in the drawings. As shown the plunger has a cylindrical wall 37 closed at the top by a head 38 which latter carries a sleeve or tube 39 pro jecting axially down into the plunger. A stationary guide pin 40 is carried by the top of the casing and projects down through this head 38 and terminates in ahead 41 inside of the tube or sleeve 39. As the member 40 remains stationary during the reciprocation of the plunger and as the tube 39 moves with the plunger it is evident that the head ll will reciprocate within the tube 39. The member 40 serves not only as a guide but the head 41 serves as a stop for limiting the movement in each direction of the plunger 36 and the head and tube may form an air cushion or dash pot. The downward movement of the plunger may be limited by the engagement of the head 41 with a shoulder at the upper end of the tube or sleeve 39 and the upward movement of the plunger may be limited by a plug 42 threaded in the lower end of the tube or sleeve 39.

Encircling the sleeve 39 and between it and the cylindrical. wall .37 of the plunger I employ a coil spring 13. The upper end of the spring is anchored to the head 38 in any suitable manner and the lower end of the spring is connected to the plunger operating mechanism. The plunger has a chamber between the lower end wall or face and the stop 12 within which the plunger operating mechanism may move. This mechanism may be in the form of a bell crank lever 45, one end of which extends through an opening 46 in the rear side of the plunger as is illustrated particularly in Fig. 1. Adjacent its lower end the casing carries a plunger locking mechanism which is illustrated in the form of a sliding bolt 47 adapted to enter a recessin the plunger itself. A bell crank lever as engages with this belt and has one end extending into such a position that it will be operated by the bell crank lever when the latter approaches the end of its stroke. A suitable spring not shown, may serve to retain the bolt and lever 18 in the position indicated in Fig. 1.

As the bell crank lever 45 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1, and in the direction indicated by the arrow, the spring 43 will be extended, but the plunger will remain stationary, due to the lock 4L7 until the inwardly projecting arm of the lever 45 engageswith and operates the bell crank lever as. The bolt 17 will now be withdrawn by a further movement of the bell crank lever 45 and the plunger will be released so that it may descend toward the wall 21 and strike a sharp blow upon a letter or other paper placed upon said top wall and beneath the plunger. It will be noted that the force with which the blow is struck will depend solely upon the elastic displacement of the spring 43 and not'upon the rapidity of the movement of the bell crank 15.

To facilitate the assembling of the parts 1 preferably provide the member 40 with a head as at its upper end which may fit in a socket in the contacting faces of the casin sections 29 and 30, so that by placing the plunger in position and then securing the casing section 30, the member will be locked in the desired position. Instead of using the bell crank lever 48 to release the look ing bolt i? I might extend the bolt rearwardly and provide a slot within which the lower arm of the lever might operate so as to reach the end of the slot andwithdraw the bolt as the lever 4E5 reaches the limit of its swing.

It will. be noted that the movable stamping member is entirely inclosed and concealed except for the lower face thereof and this face is preferably normally above the lower end of the casing as is shown in Fig. 1. As the lower end of the casing is spaced but a short distance from the wall 21 which serves as a support for the letter or other article to be stamped, it will be noted that a person can not gain access to the face of the stamping member to alter, disfigure or injure the latter without removing the section 30 of the casing which incloses said member and that this casing can not be removed until after the bottom 2% has been taken oil. Thus the movable stamping member is effectively protected and its operating mechanism can not be interfered with by an unauthorized person. As the pivot pins of the bell crank levers 415 and .8 are carried by the stationary portion of the supporting bracket or arm 28, these parts may be properly positioned and may properly operate in assembling or testing the device even though the casing section 30 be removed.

For operating the lever I preferably provide a main shaft 59 extending transversely of the maincasing'adjacent to'the top wall 21 and having one end journaled in a socket 51 in one side wall and having the opposite end extending out through the opposite side wall and provided with a crank The shaft cannot rotate but may oscillate through a limited range, its downward movement being limited by a suitable stop The shaft is provided with a depending arm 54, connected by a link to the lower end of the bell crank lever a5, as shown in Fig.12. By swinging the crank 52 downwardly the lower end of the bell crank lever i5 will thus be swung rearwardly and the spring 41-3 put under tension until the catch 47 operates to release the movable stamping member. The return movement of the crank causes the opposite end of the bell crank lever t5 to engage with the stamping member and return it to its normal position. Preferably the return movement is automatically secured by the aid of a spring which may engage with the casing and with any part of the operative connection between the crank and the plunger. For instance, a coil spring 45* may be em ployed although it is of course evident that it need not be in the particular position indicated and might be a tension spring instead of a compression spring if positioned on some other part of the mechanism.

As previously stated the machine preferably includes a counting mechanism which will serve to register the number of times which the plunger operated to stamp a letter and this counting mechanism may include an automatic stop for locking the machine against further operation after a predetermined number of letters have been stamped. This counting mechanism is preferably mounted on the base plate 24 of the machine, so as to be removed bodily from the machine upon the removal of the said bottom. A counting mechanism as illustrated includes a counter shaft 57 journaled in a suit-able standard 58 and in one end wall of the machine. The shaft normally does not project through this end wall or at least not through a sufficient distance to interfere with the desired movement-of the crank 52 but is so positioned and so mounted that when the automatic locking mechanism comes into play as hereinafter more particularly described, it will project into the path of the crank at a point closely below the normal position of the crank so that the crank can not be swung downwardly and thus the machine can notbe operated. The shaft 57 carries a plurality of counter wheels 58 each preferably presenting ten faces bearing the several digits. These counter wheels are preferably of such size and so positioned that their peripheries pass closely adjacent to one wall of the casing, for instance the top wall 21, and this wall is provided with a 61 or other suitable means on the inner S1111".

face of the wall, so that the wheels can not be tampered with through the slot and the V transparent section 60 of glass, celluloid, mica or the like can not be removed except from the inside of the case. For operating the several counter wheels the shaft is provided with a loose ratchet wheel 62 upon which rests a pawl 63 operated from the main shaft 50, as for instance by being pivoted thereto. The pawl may operate on the return stroke to rotate the wheel in one direction or it may operate as a dog and pull the wheel in the oppositedirection during the down stroke of the crank. The latter construction is the one illustrated and the pawl or dog 63 is shown as being stamped from sheet metal and provided with a catch portion 64 for engaging with'the teeth of the ratchet wheel and with side flanges 65 for engaging with the sides oftheratchet wheel to prevent the pawl from accidentally slipping off of the ratchet. A suitable spring, not shown, may be employed if desired for holding the pawl'lightly upon the ratchet wheel and thus insure its operation even though a person invert the machine and attempt to operate it to stamp letters without operating the registering mecha nism. Preferably such spring would not operate with sufficient force to cause the return rotation of the ratchet wheel, although a separate ratchet and dog might be employed for positively preventing such return movement. The pawl 63 is pivoted to the arm 64 at such a distance from the axis of the shaft 50and the parts are so proportioned that the dial or numeral wheel will not be given a complete one-tenth rotation until substantially the same instant as the locking bolt 47 is withdrawn to permit the operation of the movable stamping member 36. Thus, it is not possible to operate either the counter or the stamping member inde pendently of the other except by disconnecting the parts on the inside of the machine.

As previously stated there are a series of the numeral counting wheels 58, but the ratchet 62 is only connected to the first or unit wheel and may be secured to a collar or flange 66 of the latter. Suitable carrying mechanism serves to cause a rotation of the tens wheel one space, for each ten spaces or each complete rotation of the units wheel and to give the-hundreds wheel a rotation of one space for each ten spaces or each complete rotation of the tens wheel as is well understood in the art. The special mechanism which I employ will be described more in detail hereinafter.

As the counting mechanism is carried entirely by the base 24 and there is no connection between the operating mechanism of the stamping member and the said counting mechanism except the pawl 63 which rests upon the ratchet wheel, and the shaft 57 which eXtends slightly into the wall, it will be notedthat by removing the bottom 24 of the case the entire counting mechanism may be unfastened, tilted, and taken out or re turned to its pro-per position without manually disconnecting any parts and that the parts will be automatically connected for the operation of the counting mechanism upcn the return of the latter to the machine.

The locking mechanism of my improved device involves several important features of my invention. This locking mechanism serves to automatically lock the entire machine against further operation after a predetermined number of letters have been stamped. As illustrated the several numeral wheels 58 are mounted on a non-rotatable sleeve 68 which latter encircles the shaft 57. The-sleeve is not only held against rotation butalsoheld against longitudinal movement while the shaft is so mounted that it may move longitudinally outa limited distance through the end wall-23 into the path of movement of the crank handle The shaft is also capable of a limited rotary movement to release it and permit it to move longitudinally. The sleeve 6,8 is illustrated ashavin-g a slot 69 extending lengthwise thereof and provided with recesses or pockets'70 along one edge thereof. The shaft is provided with short radially disposed pins 71 which-are normally disposed within the recesses or poclrets 7 0, but which may move lengthwise of the slot 69 when the shaft 57 is rota-ted to release them. The shaft is provided with a collar 72 adjacent to the end wall 23 and spaced therefrom a distance equal to the maximum endwise movement of said shaft so that said collar will serve as a stop to limit'the endwise movement upon the release of the pins 71 from the r cesses. Between the collar 72 and the sleeve 68 is a coil spring-78 normally'tending to move the shaft into locking position. The end of the spring may abut against a collar 74 carried by the sleeve 66 of the terminal nu meral wheel and this collar may extend inwardly across the end of-the sleeve 68 so as to prevent the endwise movement of said, sleeve and the numeral wheels.

.Each' numeral wheel is provided with a series. of radially disposed grooves 75 in one face thereof and a locking dog 76 is so designed as to slip into any one of the several grooves the said grooves corresponding in' number and spacing to the peripheral faces of the numeral wheels or to the numerals thereon. The grooves 75 are undercut or dove-tailed so that the locking dogs can be removed only by an endwise movement and each groove has a slight recess 77 at one edge and intermediate of the ends so as to receive a corresponding projection on the locking dog. Preferably the dog is slittion of the wheel with the pin 71 within the groove and the dog 76 is so designed as to project into the groove 7 8 and engage with the corresponding pin when the wheel has rotated the desired distance in respect to the sleeve. Then it does engage with the pin a further rotation of the wheel will cause a rotationof the shaft and as the pin is moved out of the recess from the position shown in Fig. 3, it will be moved endwise by the spring 73 and the several pinswill move along the slot as indicated in Fig. ll. The several numeral wheels and gears on the sleeve are each provided with a series of axial slots corresponding to the several grooves 75, so that whatever position the several wheels may be in when the shaft is releasedthe' shaft will be free to move endwise. If the locking dog 7 6 be placed on the units wheel opposite the numeral 9, the shaft will'be released when the machine has been operated nine times. Ifthe dog be placed on the hundreds wheel opposite the numeral it, the machine will be locked when it has been operated four hundred times. The placing of-th'e looking dog onany wheel at any numeral will likewise limitthe number of operations.

To partially counteract the spring 73and render the machine easier of operation and toprevent the resetting of the machine by the pressing inwardly of the end of the shaft 57, I provide alocking lever 79 mounted intermediate of its ends on a pivot pin 80 and having one end normally in engagement with the face of the collar 72 opposite to the coil spring 73. The lever is hereheld in position by a leaf spring 81 which operates not only to press the lever toward the collar but also to hold it down and prevent radial movement outward past the collar. The opposite end of the lever is provided with a lateral flange 82 normally at one side of and out of the path of a cam 83 on the shaft 50. This cam is preferably in the form of an arm as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1 and has an inclined lower end or cam surface which when. in engagement with the lateral flange 82 will depress the adja-' cent end of the lever 79 and raise the oppo site end against the ElCtlOllOf the spring- 81 and permit the completion of the movement of the shaft 57 into locking position. This mechanism serves to prevent the handle from being locked in its lowered position and insures the positioning of the handle above the shaft 57 at the time the latter moves outwardly into locking position. The numeral wheel carrying the locking dog will be moved into final. position to release the pin 71 from the recess when the handle is at the lowermost end of its stroke, but the lever 79 and spring 81 will permit only a limited endwise movement of the shaft, and this movement will not be suflicient to prevent the upward or return movement of the handle. It will be sufficient to bring the lateral flange 82 into the path of the cam surface of the cam 83. As the handle completes its upward or return movement the cam will lower the adjacent end of the lever 79 and raise the opposite end away from the collar 72 and permit the maximum endwise movement of the shaft and a locking of the handle in its upper or raised position. To prevent a person from pressing the shaft 57 back out of the pathof the handle and holding it there while continuing to use the machine in an unauthorized manner, I provide means for locking said shaft against return movement, both from its intermediate and its final positions. The hearing at the inner end of the shaft may be provided with a pin 84 which normally rests upon the shaft, the latter having a reduced portion or recess 57 adjacent its end presenting a shoulder 57", as shown, particularly at the left end of Fig. 10. The pin may drop into position behind the shoulder after the shaft has moved endwise the first distance; When the shaft moves the second distance the pin drops the rest of the way into engagement with the end of the shaft. As the pin can not be reached except by unlocking and removing the closure 25 it is evident the shaft cannot be pushed back from either position, and further unauthorized use of the machine will be impossible.

The carrying mechanism for rotating each numeral wheel one space upon the rotation of the numeral wheel at the right ten spaces or one complete revolution may be of any character well-known in the art, although preferably I employ the specific improved mechanism illustrated. Each numeral wheel is illustrated as being provided with a gear 85 at one side thereof which is also slotted adjacent the shaft to permit the movement of the pins 71 therethrough. The gears are rigid with the numeral wheels and below the numeral wheels is pivoted a frame including two side bars 87 and 88 and two transverse shafts 89 and 90. Upon each shaft are a series of pairs of gears, but the gears of one shaft do not mesh with the gears of the other.' The right hand gear 91 of each pair meshes with the-gear of one'numeral wheel and the left-hand gear 92 of each pair has one space or one-tenth of a revolution. One

tooth alone on the wheel 92 may be sufficient or any desired number of teeth to give the desired degree of rotation. .Further rotation of the pair will permit the next numeral wheel'to remain stationary until a second revolution is nearly completed. The gear 91 on the first pair of one shaft meshes with the same gear 85 as the gear 92 of the first pair of the other shaft. In other words, the pairs are alternately arranged.

For re-setting the counting mechanisml preferably mountthe frame having the carrying mechanism so that it may be swung downwardly and free all of the gears from mesh. The frame may be normally supported in raised or operative position by de pending hooks 93 pivoted to the standards 58 and engaging and receiving the outwardly extending ends of the shaft 90.'

These hooks may have outwardly extending finger pieces 94; to facilitate swinging them into or out of operative position. l/Vith the frame in lowered position the numeral wheels may be each independently rotated by hand to bring the several zeros opposite the slot 59 and the several pairs of gears of the carrying mechanism may be similarly rotated. gears to the proper position and to insure the proper positioning, I provide the side bars 87 and 88 of the frame of the carrying mechanism with depending links 95 and 96 connected together by a link 97 and carrying cross bars 99 and 99 opposite the peripheries of the several pairs of gears. By swinging these bars toward the gears and then rotating each by hand the bar will prevent further rotation when a recess 100 of the gear. 91 comes into engagement with the bar or when any suitable stop on either gear engages with said bar. The shafts themselves may be rotatable so that by grasping the end of the shaft all of the gears on that shaft may be rotated. The gears may fit friction tight so that each gear will stop while the shaft and the remaining gears continue to rotate until all of the gears come to the proper position. The shaft preferably fits the frame more tightly than it does the gears so that the rotation of one gear by the numeral wheel in the normal operation of To facilitate the rotation of these 7 the machine will not rotate the shaft and the adjacent gears. Any other suitable mechanism may be provided for accomplishing this purpose.

If desired the main casing may be provided with a lock 102, the bolt of which may move out to a position directly beneath the handle so'that the proper authorized person may lock the machine and prevent it from being operated independent of the automatic locking mechanism above described. Thus the machine might be locked over night and only unlocked when it is desired to stamp letters.

It is evident that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the relative arrangement of parts and various parts may be omitted together with their function, or other parts may be employed in place thereof, in the proper combination to secure the results, in whole or in part.

As previously pointed out the specific ma chine illustrated is merely one form which my invention may assume.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters-Patent is:

1. In combination, a support for articles to bestamped, a plunger movable toward and from said support, and presenting a stamping face and a casing for said plunger, including two substantially semi-cylindrical casing sections, and means operable from beneath said support for securing said casing sections together.

2. In combination, a support for articles to be stamped, a stamping member movable toward and from the same, a guiding member for said stamping member and a two part casing for said stamping member and serving to lock said guiding member in position upon the assembling of the two parts of the casing.

3. In combination, a support, a plunger movable toward and from the same, a stationary pin within said plunger and having an enlarged head at its upper end and a twopart casing for said plunger, the parts of said casing being provided with recesses in their meeting faces to receive said head.

4. In combination, a hollow cylindrical stamping member, a hollow cylindrical casing inclosing the same, a spring within said casing, an arm extending into said casing and into said stamping member and opera tively connected to said spring to give the latter elastic displacement, and means for normally preventing movement of said stamping member until said spring has been given a predetermined displacement.

5,. In combination, a casing serving as a support for an article to be stamped, a stamping member movable toward and from said support, mechanism for operating said stamping member and including an oscillating arm, a locking bolt positioned adjacent to sald arm and means for moving sald bolt into the path of said arm after a predetermined number of stamping operations.

relative positions, a closure member detachably connected with said casing members and normally preventing access to said catch, one of said casing members being provided with a table surface, and stamping mechanism carried by said last-mentioned casing member and coacting with said table surface for operating upon articles to be stamped.

7. The combination of a casing'member provided with a table surface, a second casing member provided with fastenings for detachably engaging said first-mentioned casing member, a closure member detachably engaging one of said casing members, and normally preventing disengagement of said fastenings, a stamping member movable toward and from said table surface and located outside of said casing, and means carried by said casing for supporting said stamping member.

8. .The combination of easing members provided with means for holding them rigidly together when brought into prede termined relative positions, a closure member engaging said casing members, and co acting therewith to hold them in said positions and thus form a casing, counting mechanism inclosed within said casing, stamping mechanism located outside of said casing and supported by the latter, and operating mechanism connected with said counting mechanism and with said stamping mechanism for actuating the same.

9. The combination of a plurality of cas ing members, means for holding said casing members firmly together when said members occupy predetermined relative positions, a closure member for engaging said casing members, and holding the same in said relative positions so as to form a casing, one of said casing members being provided with a table surface and with a rigid arm carrying a sleeve, said sleeve being located adjacent said table surface, a stamping plunger movably mounted within said sleeve, and actuating mechanism located within said casing and including a movable member extending through said arm and into said sleeve, and a connection from said movable member to said stamping plunger, for actuating the same.

10. The combination of a composite cas ing made of separate interlocking members, one of said members beingprovided with a pair of separable sections one of which is integral with said last-mentioned member, said sections together forming a plunger casing, and a plunger movably mounted within said plunger casing. I

11. The combination of a composite casing made up of parts interlocking together, one of said parts being provided with a table surface and with an arm, said table surface and said arm being located externally of said casing, and a stamping member carried by said arm and movable relatively to said table surface.

12. In combination, a movable stamping member, a sliding bolt for engaging said stamping member and normally preventing movement thereof, a lever engaging said sliding bolt for actuating the same, an arm movable relatively to said lever for the purpose of actuating the same, and a spring connected with said arm and with said stamping member.

13. The combination of a movable stamping member, a sliding bolt for engaging said stamping member and normally preventing movements thereof, a bell crank lever engaging said sliding bolt for moving the same in the general direction of the length thereof, a rocking arm adapted to engage said bell crank lever for the purpose of shifting said sliding bolt, and a spring connected with said arm and with said stamping member for the purpose of actuating the latter when said sliding bolt is withdrawn from said stamping member.

let. The combination of a stamping member provided with a radially disposed slot, an operating member extending into said slot and movable relatively to said stamping member, a spring located within said stamping member and operatively connecting the latter to said operating member, and means for moving said operating member in order to give said spring elastic displacement.

15. The combination of a movable stamping member made hollow and provided with a slot, a coiled spring located within said stamping member and engaging the same, anarm extending through said slot and engaging said coiled spring in order to place said spring under tension, and mechanisni for holding and releasing said stamping member.

16. The combination of a casing provided with a table surface and with a hollow arm extending to a point adjacent to said table surface, a plunger carried by said arm and movable relatively to the latter, a rocking member journaled within said arm and connected with said stamping member, a sliding bolt carried by said arm for holding and releasing said stamping member, and

a lever connected with said sliding bolt for actuating the same, said lever being disposed partially within the path of travel of said operating member.

17. The combination of a separable casing made up of parts interlocking with each other, one of said parts being provided with a table surface and with a hollow supporting arm, a plunger supported by said arm and movable relatively to the same, a spring connected with said plunger for actuating the latter, and a rocking arm journaled within said hollow supporting arm and engaging said spring for the purpose of tensioning said spring, a latch for normally holding said plunger, and a lever connected with said latch and located partially within the path of travelofsaid rocking arm.

18. The combination of a casing provided with a table surface and with an arm extending into proximitv to said table surface, said arm carrying ajtwo-part holding member, a stamping plunger slidably mounted within said holding member, a rocking member journaled within said arm and provided with a portion for actuating said stamping member, a bell crank lever journaled within said arm, and a sliding bolt mounted within said arm and engaging said bell crank lever, said sliding bolt be ing free, to engage and disengage said stamping plunger.

19. The combination'of a casing provided with a table surface and with a hollow arm extending from said easing into proximity to said table surface, a stamping plunger supported by said arm and movable relatively to said table surface, a rocking member journaled within said hollow arm and provided with a portion extending toward said stamping member, a spring connected with said portion and with said stamping member, and mechanism mounted within said casing and connected with said rocking member for the purpose of actuating the same. 1

20. The combination of a casing rovided with a table surface for supporting-articles to be stamped, a hollow arm mounted upon said casin and extending therefrom into proximity to said table surface, a stamping member supported by said hollow arm and movable relatively to said table surface, actuating mechanism located within said casing, a lever connected with said actuating mechanism and controllable thereby, said lever extending through said hollow arm and being journaled therein, and a connection from said lever to said stamping plunger.

21. The combination of a casing provided with a table surface, and further provided with a hollow arm, a plunger bearing carried by said hollow arm, a stamping plunger slidably mounted within said bearing, and movable relatively to said table surface, operating mechanism located Within said casing, a lever connected with said op erating mechanism and actuated thereby, said lever extending through said hollow arm and into proximity to said plunger, a spring connected with said lever and with said plunger for actuating said plunger, and mechanism controllable by movements of said lever for holding and releasing said plunger.

22. The combination of a counting mechanism, a casing inclosing the same, a stamping member movable toward and from said casing, a shaft journaled in said casing and mounted to rock back and forth within predetermined limits only, a. bell crank lever having one end operatively connected to said stamping member, connections between said drive shaft and the opposite end of said bell crank lever, and operative connections from said drive shaft to said counting mechanism.

23. The combination of a stamping mechanism, means for actuating the same, said means including a drive shaft mounted to rock back and forth within predetermined limits, an actuating crank mounted rigidly upon said shaft, a counting mechanism including a shaft movable in the general direction of its axis, said shaft being so positioned that in moving in the direction of its axis it extends into the path of travel of said actuating crank, and mechanism con- 'trollable by said counting mechanism for shifting said shaft in the general direction of its length.

24. The combination of a casing provided with a hollow arm extending therefrom and further provided with a table surface, a bearing carried by said arm and disposed adjacent said table surface, stamping mechanism supported by said hollow arm for stamping articles carried by said table surface, a lever journaled within said hollow arm and extending through the same, an operative connection from said lever to said stamping mechanism, a counting mechanism disposed within said casing, actuating mechanism common to said counting mechanism and to said stamping mechanism for actuating the same, and means coacting with said counting mechanism and located within said casing for the purpose of locking said stamping mechanism after a predetermined number of motions thereof. a

2-5. The combination of a stamping mechanism, means for operating the same, a counting mechanism, and a shaft movable in the general direction of its own axis and connected with said counting mechanism, said shaft serving as a lock for preventing movement of said stamping mechanism and said means for operating the same.

26. The combination of astamping mechanism, actuating means for driving the same, a revoluble member connected with said actuating means for controlling the latter, a counting mechanism, and a shaft connected with said counting mechanism and movable in respect thereto in the general direction of its own length, said shaft being movable partly into the path of travel of said revoluble member in order to limit the number of movements of said stamping mechanism.

27. The combination of a stamping mechanism, a crank for operating said stamping mechanism, a counting mechanism, a shaft connected with said counting mechanism and movable in respect thereto in the general direction of the axis of said shaft, said shaft being so located that when moved in the general direction of its axis it extends into the path of travel of said crank.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 21st day of February A. D. 1913.

EDWARD J. MADDEN.

Witnesses:

CLAIR W. FAIRBANKS, FLORENCE SERIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

